“What are these fundamental principles, if they are not atoms?""Stories. And they give me hope.”

“The only thing that kept me going was stories. Stories are hope. They take you out of yourself for a bit, and when you get dropped back in, you're different- you're stronger, you've seen more, you've felt more. Stories are like spiritual currency.”

“There's atoms, which is things that is too small to see, that's what we're all made of. And there's things that are smaller than atoms, and that's Particle Physics."Bod nodded and decided that Scarlett's father was probably interested in imaginary things.”

“All writers have this vague hope that the elves will come in the night and finish any stories.”

“Do not lose hope — what you seek will be found. Trust ghosts. Trust those that you have helped to help you in their turn. Trust dreams. Trust your heart, and trust your story. (from 'Instructions')”

“It may help to understand human affairs to be clear that most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused, not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally bad, but by people being fundamentally people.”

“you got a story to tell, and you are the only one who can tell it. Don't give up!”